


Lesson

by soulless_lover



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, Non-Consensual Spanking, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 06:38:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulless_lover/pseuds/soulless_lover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ciel's being excessively bratty due to a lack of sleep. Sebastian decides to teach him a lesson in manners and social grace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lesson

"Argh! I can't _play_ this!" 

Sebastian sighed. It was the third time in the span of less than fifteen minutes that Ciel had said those same words, and he was tiring rapidly of it. "Young Master, you're perfectly capable of playing this piece - you're just being difficult." He tapped the music stand with the tutor's cane he held. "Pay attention to the time signature."

Ciel huffed and drew the bow across the violin strings, glaring at all those little black ink dots on the page of music. Why did that damned butler insist upon giving him such complicated pieces to play? _Paganini's Caprice No. 24_? Honestly! Just because Ciel had actually sold his soul to the devil, that didn't mean he'd been granted the technical skill of a violin master only _rumored_ to have done so. He hadn't asked for extraordinary musical talent in the contract, anyway. He supposed he should be glad Sebastian hadn't required him to play Tartini's "Devil's Trill" Sonata... yet.

"Young Master!" The willow cane rapped against the music stand again, startling the boy out of his thoughts and causing him to abruptly stop playing with a final, discordant screech of a note.

Ciel glared up at the demon, who was regarding him with an annoyed grimace of disapproval. "What _now_?" he demanded snappishly. "Stop giving me that look - it's your own fault for making me play this bothersome piece."

Sebastian's frown deepened, and small creases appeared between his dark brows, much to his impudent pupil's satisfaction. "Your elbow is too low," he said, correcting this by pushing Ciel's right arm upward. "Your scroll is too high," he continued, lowering the end of the violin until it was nearly parallel with the floor. "Also, all of your fingers are very poorly positioned." He adjusted the arch of each offending digit over the strings, then arranged the boy's grip on the bow. 

"Anything else?" Ciel grumbled, scowling.

"Yes. It is likely that your disagreeable attitude is the reason you are playing badly, rather than the music itself. You are not applying yourself, nor are you attending to your form."

"Gah! To hell with my form!" The frustrated Earl knocked his tutor's hand away with the bow and stalked over to the desk to put his violin in its case. "I'm finished with this for today. Bring me some tea."

"Young Master, you are _exceedingly_ irritable today." Sebastian admonished, pushing his glasses up with a gloved finger. "Perhaps a dose of castor oil would be more appropriate."

Ciel shut the violin case with a bang, then turned to glower at the demon. "Castor oil? Really, Sebastian? Are you my governess now?" He flopped down into the desk chair and closed his eyes dismissively. "You certainly look like one, in those glasses. Why do you wear them, anyway? Your eyesight is perfect."

"Perhaps they make my eyesight _less_ perfect," Sebastian answered, "so that having to look at your surly expression for hours is less arduous." Actually, the lenses were just plain glass that didn't really hamper the demon's vision at all, but he wasn't going to waste time trying to explain the importance of achieving the proper _look_ of one's occupation - they were already twelve minutes behind schedule, thanks to the boy's incessant grousing.

"Stop giving me ridiculous music to play, and I'll be less surly." Ciel opened his eyes, the one not hidden by the patch regarding Sebastian with a cold stare. "Or you could just do as you're told and _bring me the bloody tea._ "

The demon's eyes flashed. "That sort of language is only befitting of scoundrels and common thieves," he informed his young master in a severe tone. "It's hardly appropriate for an Earl." The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk. "Or a young child such as yourself."

"I'm not a child!" Ciel leapt angrily to his feet, slamming both hands down on the desk. "Why are you still standing there, prattling rubbish at your master instead of bringing the tea? Stop scolding me and do your job!"

"I _am_ doing my job," Sebastian replied, removing his glasses and tucking them into his pocket. "It is obvious that your lessons are not finished for the day."

"Well, _I_ say they are," the boy flared, smacking the desk again for emphasis, "and I'm the one in charge here!"

Sebastian smothered a growl. _By all that's unholy,_ he thought, _I **will** teach that brat a lesson today!_ "Conventionally, yes. However, I _am_ your tutor while we are here in the townhouse, and as such, it is my position to decide what lessons you will learn, and when." He walked around the desk, took hold of Ciel's arm, and pulled him to his feet. "We are well behind schedule, thanks to Young Master's peevishness, and if nothing has been learned, the entire lesson will have been a waste." His eyes were glowing fiercely, red-hot embers full of displeasure. "I _hate_ wasting time."

"I hate your _lessons_ ," the Earl retorted. "Take your hands off of me!" He jerked his arm out of Sebastian's grip and gave the butler a shove. "Now get out!"

Of course the shove did nothing in the way of moving Sebastian from where he stood; he was nearly twice Ciel's size and monstrously strong, and even if the boy had thrown all his weight into it, a simple push wouldn't have budged the demon unless he allowed it - and he was _not_ in the mood to do such a thing. "I cannot, Young Master."

"I want my tea." Ciel pointed at the door with one imperious finger. "Go!"

"No," Sebastian answered simply. 

Thoroughly provoked, the boy shouted: _"Why the hell not?"_

"Your eyes are red with dark rings under them, your posture is lazy, and you have been excessively ill-tempered from the moment you awoke. Furthermore, it is very clear from the candle wax on your night-table, the distinctive page-turning sound that I hear from your room late at night, and the penny-dreadfuls you attempt to hide in your mattress - badly, I might add - that you are getting up again after I have put you to bed, and are reading well into the evening instead of sleeping. You are not getting enough rest, Young Master, and your belligerence shows it. If you wish to be read to at bedtime, I'm certain I could find one of the picture-books you were so fond of when I first came here."

Ciel's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not ten anymore!"

"No, but speaking honestly, Young Master, you behaved better at ten years of age than you are behaving today. Your conduct today would barely be tolerable from a child of three." Sebastian's lips thinned into a hard line. "To be quite frank, you're acting like a spoiled brat in need of a spanking and an afternoon nap."

The boy's mouth fell open. "How _dare_ you say such things to me! Take it back this instant!"

"No. It is only the truth, and if it is too unpleasant to hear, then all the more reason you should hear it. You have been sulking and storming about all day, shouting at everyone; I'm quite certain you made Mey-Rin cry when you upbraided her this morning for dropping your breakfast dishes. I was waiting for you to throw yourself to the floor and have a fine tantrum."

"You--!" Infuriated and ashamed, Ciel slapped him. "Bastard!"

Sebastian's crimson eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do! It won't work!"

The demon tilted his head slightly to one side, regarding his young master with an unreadable expression. "Oh? And what is it that I'm trying to do?"

"I won't lower myself by saying humiliating things. Don't try to trick me into it - I'm not a naïve child you can toy with as you like!" That blue eye was blazing with fury and pride, which only encouraged Sebastian to be even more cruel:

"I beg your pardon, Young Master - but you've been complaining like a child for the last three-quarters of an hour, and if you believe an adult would behave this way, you are most certainly naïve, if not a complete fool." 

Incensed, Ciel brought a hand up to slap him again - and was shocked when the butler caught his wrist easily and held it immobile.

"It's very bad form to strike out in anger," Sebastian murmured, and there was a menacing edge to his voice. "It's also very childish."

Nearly blind with rage, Ciel was oblivious to the warning; his other hand came up and was also caught, his thin wrists held so tightly it was somewhat painful. "Let me go!" he railed, livid. "Let _go_ , you're hurting me--"

Sebastian released one of the boy's hands to grip him by the chin, eyes gleaming malevolently, the bottomless black pupils narrowing to snakelike vertical slits. _"Are you listening to me?"_ he demanded in a terrible voice that made Ciel's eyes widen in shock. "You are a _stubborn, willful child_. If you were to behave this way in society, you would be regarded as nothing but a violent, arrogant brat with a foul temper. It is in Young Master's best interests to learn some manners - therefore, as the tutor in charge of your lessons, I must take it upon myself to teach you how to behave properly."

It wasn't very often that Ciel was reminded just how dangerous his butler was, this demon kept in check only by his own principles and aesthetics; he was so comfortable around Sebastian, so dependent upon him for - well, everything - that it didn't often occur to him that the leash he held was just as illusory as the human face the demon wore. The mark painfully seared into his eye so many months ago was not a guarantee, nor a protective ward; it was simply a signature at the bottom of a document, the approval stamp on an agreement, and the Earl of Phantomhive had been doing business long enough to know that promises could be broken, agreements ended, contracting documents torn asunder. The demon could very easily kill him if he so chose, and there would be nothing Ciel could do about it. 

For the first time in a very long time, Ciel was actually afraid of Sebastian, and he hated it.

"Let go of me this instant. Who are _you_ to teach me anything about manners when you treat your betters this way? You're just a servant - no, lower than that - a _dog_ , barking impudently at your master's heels! Should I put you on a chain? Perhaps a muzzle would keep your insolent tongue from--"

Sebastian, patience depleted, gave Ciel's wrist a ruthless yank and the boy fell forward; at the same moment, the demon stepped back and sat down in the desk chair, the result being that the Earl fell facedown across his lap. "Young Master is suffering from a severe lack of discipline. I apologize most sincerely for having neglected this important part of your personal development."

Ciel kicked and flailed, but since his hands and feet were dangling several inches above the floor - Sebastian's legs suddenly seemed miles long - he found no purchase anywhere, and had no leverage with which to push free. He was further impeded by the demon's strong arm, which had clamped firmly down across his back and was currently holding him in an unyielding grip. Hearing the desk drawer open, he twisted around to look over his shoulder - just in time to see Sebastian withdraw a wooden ruler and hold it up.

"I am very sorry to have to resort to this method," the butler informed his horrified young master, though his tone and the glint in his eyes said otherwise. "This _will_ hurt, I'm afraid."

"Wait, what are you--" Ciel's eyes widened as Sebastian raised the ruler higher. "No! Sebastian, _no!_ Don't you dare!!"

The strip of wood came down across the seat of the boy's short trousers with a solid _whap_. "Apologies, Young Master," the demon said, in a perfect imitation of a disappointed tutor's admonishment. _Whap._ "It is for your own good." _Whap._ "Be grateful I did not choose to use the instructor's cane instead."

Ciel clenched his teeth, his face burning. The humiliation of being turned over his butler's knee and spanked like a common schoolboy was worse than the punishment itself; through his woolen clothing, it didn't really hurt all that much, and Sebastian was obviously holding back quite a bit - a blow landed with the demon's full strength could easily have broken Ciel's bones, if not snapped him in two altogether - but his pride was suffering considerably. Even his own father had never disciplined him in such a manner, and for a _servant_ to do so was degrading in the extreme.

 _Whap. Whap. Whap._ "Hold still, Young Master. You've well earned this, so bear it like the English gentleman you claim to be." 

"I don't _claim_ to be anything!" Ciel retorted angrily, instinctively reaching back with one hand to protect himself. "I _am_ an English gentleman! Stop it!"

Greatly amused, Sebastian couldn't help but smile, the ruler hovering ominously above the squirming boy. "A gentleman should accept responsibility for his actions, and the consequences of them. Do move your arm out of the way, please. It would be a great deal more painful if I were to accidentally strike it."

Ciel did as he was told, bringing his hand back down - then made a fist and began to pummel Sebastian's shin as hard as he could, cursing. "Devil! Bastard! Bloody low-born dog! How _dare_ you do this to me--!"

The demon made a deep growling noise and grabbed the boy's arm, twisting it up behind his back and effectively halting the onslaught. It hadn't really hurt, but it was an annoying, insulting sort of pain, like being pinched over and over, and Sebastian's already exhausted patience was at its limit. "I give you fair warning, Young Master. If you do not cease this pointless struggling and accept your punishment with the dignity befitting your station, I will make this much more unpleasant for you."

"Dignity!?" Ciel shouted, fuming. "You thrash me like a disobedient workhouse urchin and speak to me of _dignity_!? The gall! You have no right--"

Sebastian heaved a very put-upon sigh. "I can see this is going to be a lesson that must be learned the hard way. Very well." He set the ruler on the desk, then grasped the waistband of Ciel's short trousers and pulled, rending the fine wool and popping off a few buttons. "I warned you."

The boy stilled with shock as the torn garment fell to the floor. "Sebastian..."

"If I were you," Sebastian advised calmly, "I wouldn't say another word."

"Wait-- you can't--" 

Another sigh. "Very well, then." He took hold of Ciel's muslin drawers and pulled them down. "You _will_ learn this lesson, Young Master."

The little Earl's visible eye was huge, watching apprehensively as Sebastian reached over to the desk and picked up the ruler again; he opened his mouth to protest, to command the demon to stop, to give a direct order that would end all this nonsense... but nothing came out except a small squeak.

"I will release your arm, but I do not recommend trying to cover yourself again. You may however want to take the opportunity to hold onto something." Sebastian's tone was genuinely apologetic this time. "This will hurt very much."

Ciel barely had time to think before the ruler struck him sharply across the place where his buttocks met his thighs; he yelped in pain and grabbed hold of the first solid, steady thing his hands came into contact with - which happened to be Sebastian's leg. He clung tightly for support, gripping handfuls of trouser cloth, crumpling the immaculately ironed creases; the ruler came down again and again, striking with unerring accuracy, horrible and stinging and merciless. Sebastian had said it would hurt very much - and Sebastian never lied.

"I believe one stroke for each time you lashed out at me today - physically, with blows, or verbally, with curses - is appropriate," the demon proclaimed, bringing the ruler down again across Ciel's sore and reddened behind. "You _must_ learn self-control and social grace, no matter the cost to your pride." The wooden strip was beginning to raise dark welts on the boy's pale skin, much to Sebastian's dismay; although the Earl was withstanding the punishment marvelously, his tender flesh was not, and if Sebastian continued in the current fashion, the likelihood of the blows breaking the skin and causing bleeding was high. He set the ruler aside, then pulled his glove off with his teeth. "Please bear with it a bit longer, Young Master. The lesson is nearly over."

Ciel said nothing; he only tightened his grip on the butler's trouser leg a bit more and lay there, breathing raggedly.

Sebastian had to admit, he had a great deal of respect for the boy's strength and stalwart nature; here was the exalted Earl of Phantomhive, the Queen's Watchdog, facedown across his butler's lap, practically naked from the waist down, his butt striped with crimson and looking very sore - and he was soldiering silently through it with the stiff upper lip of a grown Victorian gentleman. Sebastian was actually rather proud of him. "Prepare yourself."

Ciel tensed, expecting another merciless battery of blows from that wretched ruler... and was rather surprised when what actually struck him was Sebastian's bare hand. It still hurt terribly - especially since he was already so sore he was certain he'd find bruises there for days - but unlike the sharp bite of the narrow ruler, the burning surface sting that a slap from Sebastian's palm produced was somewhat more tolerable. However, there was only so much he could bear in dignified silence, and after a few more smacks in rapid succession, a small whimper escaped him and he had to bite his lip to keep from doing something incredibly embarrassing, like begging the demon to stop.

Fortunately for the Earl and his battered pride - not to mention his smarting butt - Sebastian did stop abruptly, and after a moment announced: "It is finished, Young Master."

Ciel didn't move from where he was, though the arm Sebastian had held him down with was now resting lightly on the boy's heaving back, serving only to steady him; he didn't think he could move just yet anyway - his buttocks and upper thighs hurt so much he doubted he'd be able to sit properly for at least a couple of days.

The fact that Ciel hadn't immediately gotten as far from him as possible made Sebastian pause; had he been too harsh? Had he unintentionally caused greater injury than the boy could handle? He hadn't thought he was using an unreasonable amount of force, but then again, humans were delicate, weak-bodied creatures to begin with - children especially so - and Ciel in particular was very small and thin, with little fat to cushion his fragile bones. It wouldn't have been the first time the butler had accidentally hurt his young master with his inhuman strength, either. For the first time in his very long life as a demon, Sebastian suffered a twinge of something almost like regret, and it was awkward and unnerving. "Young Master? You may stand up now."

Ciel braced himself by placing both hands on the top of Sebastian's thigh and tentatively began to push himself into a more upright position; the butler straightened his opposite knee, the one beneath the boy's hips, and slowly lowered his leg until Ciel's feet touched the floor; the boy found his balance and finally stood, his spine still straight and proud - but his head was down, his face hidden by his now somewhat disheveled hair.

Sebastian considered asking if Ciel was all right, then dismissed it as a stupid notion. Of course he wasn't all right, he'd just been quite thoroughly punished - probably for the first time in his spoiled, pampered life - and was most certainly in pain, if not in shock. The demon frowned, his brow creasing slightly, then moved from the chair to kneel in front of his young master; he reached out, and Ciel neither spoke nor moved away, so he carefully took hold of the muslin drawers still bunched around the boy's thighs, untied the drawstring to make the waistband looser, and pulled them up as gently as possible.

Ciel still said nothing, not even when the garment crossed his buttocks - which were already purpling with bruises and obviously very sore - and didn't look up as Sebastian retied the string and then shifted his weight on his knee to regard the boy more closely.

"Young Master? Have you anything to say?"

Silence.

Perplexed, Sebastian placed a very gentle hand under Ciel's chin and tilted his head up to look at him - and was quite surprised to see his proud little master looking perfectly fine, his eye clear and blue and gazing right back at him without the slightest hint of trauma or malice. He did, however, have the bashful, contemplative look of a properly chastened child, his brow soft, his face pink. 

"What?" the boy asked, seeing the demon's expression. "Were you expecting to see me crying?"

"No," Sebastian answered with a small smile. "Since the night we met, you have borne even severe duress with dry eyes - I did not expect that to have changed."

"Liar." 

The butler took a small silver comb from the inner pocket of his coat and began to put Ciel's hair in order. "I do not lie to you, Young Master." 

Sebastian continued grooming him, and after a moment the boy said: "Do you wish I had cried?"

Surprised, the demon paused and sat back to look Ciel directly in the face. "No. Why would I want that?"

"It seems like something you would enjoy."

Sebastian tilted his head to the side slightly, one eyebrow raised. "I would not enjoy seeing my young master cry under those circumstances, no."

"Those circumstances?" It was the Earl's turn to look perplexed. 

The demon sighed. "It was not my intent to make you cry. My intention was to teach you an important lesson, and I was forced to use a very painful method to do so." His eyes glimmered for an instant before he added, "If my intention had been to make you cry... you would have cried."

"You tore my clothes, you know."

Caught off guard by the abrupt change of subject, Sebastian blinked, then put a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "My humble apologies, Young Master. I still sometimes forget my own strength. I'll mend them immediately."

"Good," Ciel replied, folding his arms pompously. "Do it right now. I can't walk around in my undergarments."

"Of course." Sebastian stood and retrieved the short trousers from where they still lay beside the desk chair; after carefully examining the tear, he withdrew a small pouch from his coat pocket and turned to smile amiably at Ciel. "This will take a few moments. Please be seated and wait, and I'll have them ready for you directly."

Ciel shuffled his feet, but didn't move. 

"Young Master? Is something wrong?"

"...I can't."

The demon blinked again. "Young Master?"

The boy huffed, his face reddening, and looked away. "I can't 'be seated'. I can't _sit_."

It took every bit of Sebastian's self-control not to laugh. "Of course. I beg your pardon." He set the pouch and the short trousers on the desk, then came over to lift Ciel up, being careful to avoid the boy's injuries; he carried his embarrassed young master to the chaise-longue by the bookshelves and gently deposited him on the soft cushions, turning him slightly so that he was resting on his side. "Is this satisfactory?"

Ciel shifted a bit, winced, then returned to his usual stony-faced expression. "It's tolerable." Sebastian bowed and turned to retrieve the items he'd left on the desk, but stopped when the boy's hand caught one of his coattails and tugged. "Wait."

"Yes?" He turned to address the Earl, who suddenly seemed very small, lying there with his coltish little legs barely reaching halfway across the length of the chaise. "Is there something you need?"

"Your coat." Seeing the surprise on the butler's face, he explained haughtily, "I'm not going to lie around in my undergarments, either. Give me your coat to cover myself with."

Sebastian immediately complied, removing his long tailcoat and spreading it over his young master like a lap blanket. "I apologize for not having seen to the matter without prompting. Please excuse my thoughtless oversight."

Ciel gave him a half-nod and gestured towards the desk. "Just mend my clothes... please."

That final word, spoken so quietly that a normal person would have missed it, did not go unnoticed by Sebastian's supernatural hearing. _Perhaps he truly **did** learn a lesson today._ "Yes, my lord."

He sat down in a nearby armchair with the mending, took a small sewing kit from the pouch, and set to work; after a short time, he looked up and saw that Ciel had fallen asleep, his carefully sorted hair rumpled again, the coat pulled up to his chest, one thin leg sticking out from between the tails. _Ah, Young Master,_ Sebastian thought with an exasperated smile, _I went to the trouble of mending your clothing so you could wear it immediately, and now I shall have to change your outfit anyway to put you to bed._ He chuckled softly, set the sewing aside, then walked over to the chaise and lifted the boy with great gentleness.

"Sebastian?" Ciel mumbled drowsily against his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Are you still angry with me?" The soft, sleepy voice was oddly charming.

"No."

"Mnn." The boy's body seemed to grow slightly heavier, but Sebastian couldn't tell if Ciel was relaxing against him out of relief, or if he had just fallen back to sleep. Either way, it showed just how much he trusted his butler, despite what had passed between them not even an hour before, and the demon's mouth curved into a clever, knowing smile.

"Let's get you to bed, Young Master," he murmured. "I'll bring your tea once you've finished your afternoon nap."

 

END.

**Author's Note:**

> based on some feedback i've gotten, i think i should probably mention that the severity of Ciel's punishment was pretty much standard M.O. in the Victorian era - i was actually worried that historical accuracy sticklers would complain that Sebastian didn't use the cane. i mean, that's what it's _for_. ^^; also, given how fair-skinned and spoiled Ciel is, i figured he'd probably bruise pretty easily, so it honestly wouldn't take a really harsh beating to leave some fairly dark marks on him. my opinion is that Sebastian would draw the line at anything that causes bleeding or broken bones, but considering the fact that in the manga he intentionally lets Ciel go into an area containing a venomous snake _because getting poisoned would be a painful but interesting life experience_... well, in this fic, he actually considers himself to be taking it rather easy on the kid. also, please remember that Ciel is _not_ an ordinary 12-year-old; he survived a solid _month_ of starvation and torture, and took a vicious beating from a mafioso without so much as a whimper. the light swat we'd give a 21st-century kid wouldn't even register on Ciel's radar. the Queen's Watchdog is hardcore, yo!


End file.
